Cooking With Herbs

Trying to follow Doctor's orders I am watching my intake of salt and (God help me) spices. I could eat my own weight in my favorite finger foods, grilled cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon and deep fried stuffed jalapenos. I could eat a 6' long BLT w/ fried green tomatoes on it.
But trying to eat better and ergo live longer I am adapting my diet and actually finding things that are palatable... I am easing back on the pork and what I do have is grilled or smoked (no bacon for the past 2 weeks already). Since I am being Shanghaied into cutting back on salt and spice I have turned to cooking w/ more herbs. I smoked a pork loin tother day after rubbing it well w/ olive oil and almost crusting it w/ dried Italian seasoning mix from the grocery (oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary and sage). I'm harvesting a bit of dill & lemon basil from the garden and sassafras leaves from the woods. Hey, why pay for gumbo file' powder when it's free for the picking as long as you ain't afraid if getting ticks? Pick the leaves, dry em and grind em. It's that simple.
A naked baked spud is about as boring as it gets, right? Well, all the stuff that makes a spud worth cramming into my grocery hole is on my "avoid" list. I'm renaming that right now my "watch and limit" list! I clarified some butter (that's fancy pants talk for melting it and spooning off all the foamy stuff) and mixed it 50/50 w/ olive oil, added some Italian seasoning and put it in the fridge for my taters. It's nothing to call Mama and brag about but it's rather tasty especially w/ a bit of fresh dill and/or basil.
Dandelions are considered by most here weeds. After rinsing off the dog pee I see them as food. They add a welcome wild freshness to salads and I encourage their growth in my yard. I've read in magazines they can be boiled like collards, mustard or any other greens. I haven't tried that route yet but maybe next year I can pick enough to make a mess.
I'm still getting a pod or 3 of okra every day or 3 and ditto w/ the cherry tomatoes and even a pod of peas when least looked for. I'm just cleaning em off, wiping them dry and tossing em into a freezer and and into the freezer. Almost have enough for a big pot of boiled okra w/ a few maters and a pea or 3 to throw onto the boil. A lot of people don't like boiled okra because of the slime. Hey, a little slime never hurt anybody!